Healthy Shabbat Recipes

Whole-Wheat Carrot Kugel Muffins (My Kids Favorite!)

At the height of my son's picky eater phase it was almost impossible to find stuff that he would eat.  We went to a friends house for shabbos and were thrilled when he gobbled this kugel down.  (Hey, there are real carrots in there! That counts as a vegetable!) Thankfully my friend shared her recipe and it's been a regular dish at our table ever since. You can make this in any kind of  baking dish you like, but I always bake it in rose shaped muffin pans for a little extra style.

Approximately 3 cups of carrots  ( depending on  how one likes it: grated, or steamed and mashed)
2 cup whole-wheat flour  (You could also use ground oat meal, teff, spelt,or quinoa flours)
a shake or two of cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup  healthy oil
4 eggs
throw in ground flax meal (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour pan or muffin tins.
Place the carrots in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients, then add the oil & eggs. 
Scrape batter into pan or muffin tin and bake for  about 40 minutes.  Test with a toothpick for doneness.

Super-Rich Sweet Cashew Butter Kugel (Vegan)

Here is another amazing vegan kugel.

My husband is not a big fan sweet kugels, so I don't make this often...but it is amazing! It uses a WHOLE JAR of cashew butter and the result is incredible. It would make a great Rosh Hashana dish.

This Recipe is from Eden Foods -- THANK YOU EDEN FOR ALL OF YOUR TERRIFIC HEALTHY AND KOSHER FOODS!

You will need:

1 Package Eden Thick Kluski Ribbons (You can substitue other noodles, but these really do work well with the recipe if you can get them.)
1 Liter Vanilla Edensoy Extra Soymilk
1 bar of Eden Agar Agar (or a package of the flakes if you can't find the bars)
1 cup of Roasted Cashew Butter
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 cup rasins
1 tablespoon cinnamon
(You will also need a hand mixer)

Directions:

Cook kluski ribbons as package directs. Drain Rinse and Set Aside.

Heat the soymilk. Add the agar-agar to the soymilk (break it up first if using the bar) Cook until the agar-agar is completely dissolved.

Add cashew butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon to heated mixer and blend well with a hand mixer.

Using an 8x8 or 7x10 pan, layer a small amount of sauce on the bottom, add 1/2 of the cooked noodles, sprinkle with 1/2 of the rasins and pour over 1/2 the of the remaining sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, rasins and sauce.

Cover and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Cool completely at room temperature or in the fridge. The kugel will set up as it cools. Slice into squares to serve.

The Vegans Are Coming! The Vegans Are Coming! (Or, how to make a vegan kugel)

I remember when I was a vegetarian and I would be invited out for a shabbos meal. More often than not, the hostess would panic and ask me "What can I make for you? You only eat vegetables!?!" Thus started my long slow decline back into the world of meat eating... (I still can't eat much meat...pretty much just chicken on shabbat)

Since those days I have vowed to be able to prepare food for any kind of specialized diet so that I can invite anyone for shabbos without raising an eyebrow. You're a vegetarian? Not a problem. Macrobiotic -- come on over! Gluten Free? -- I'll just call my mom for some advice and we'll be all set. Vegan? I got ya covered!

One challenge, when trying to make food for a vegan, is how to make that ubiquitous shabbos dish -- kugel. Kugel usually involves eggs - right? Well...not anymore...

Here is a recipe for a vegan kugel. A mix of tofu, tahini, kuzu and other seasonings replace the eggs and it works quite well. (Just head to a health food store for the more exotic ingredients) And for more tips on how 'veganize' a pareve recipe (which usually means you just have to replace the eggs with a vegan option) check out this page: http://blog.vegcooking.com/2008/03/egg_replacement_tips_and_trick.php

Noodle-Tofu-Broccoli Kugel
From The Macrobiotic Community Cookbook
by Helga Newmark
The Natural Cooking School.

You'll Need:

3/4 pound noodles, drained and cooked (Eden's Pesto Noodles work well here)
2 broccoli stalks, steamed and cut in to small chunks
1 pound of tofu drained
1 1/2 tbps light miso
1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons kuzu, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups of water
2 garlic cloves.

Directions:

Oil a large, shallow baking dish. Line it with noodles and broccoli. Set aside.

Combine tofu, miso, umeboshi vinegar, soy sauce, tahini, lemon juice and dissolved kuzu-water mixture, and garlic in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture over noodles and broccoli, covering them completely.

Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes, or until the top browns and cracks slightly.